Hiwot Gebreegziaber

A memorial gathering for Hiwet was held Saturday, May 27, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Hiwot was born in Adi Bari, Eritrea, to Keshi GebreEgeziaber Gebrekal and Abrehet GebreSelassie (Emmama). She moved to the city of Asmara as a youth and lived with her dear aunt Abeshay Yehdega while attending primary school at Enda Seta. Her schooling was interrupted at the age of 17-years upon meeting and subsequently joining in union with a young Mesfen Embaye, who at that time was an aspiring and rising officer in the military police during Emperor Haile Selassie’s regime.

Her very first journey in this new chapter took her to Gondar, where Mesfen, by then a Colonel, would be assigned. Thereafter, w/o Hiwot and Col. Mesfen would be blessed with their very first child to whom the name Ahbey would be given. Their time in Gondar would be short-lived, as the much-needed skills of Col. Mesfen would require his presence in Addis Ababa where he would embark on yet a new assignment. There, in the capital city, a second child, Bemenet (whom we affectionately call Merid) was born in 1961, and later another boy, Samson, would be conceived and birthed. With three boys in-tow, the couple would find themselves moving further south to Harar where Mesfen would take on a new role. While there, Hiwot and Mesfen would find their family expand with the arrival of three more children – Yared, Asmite, and Sharon – it added joy to an already prosperous life. Throughout this period and later, Mesfen would leave frequently on government business while Hiwot stayed back with the children. And the family invariably rejoiced and celebrated his return following temporary travel. Mesfen’s absence, however, was never a cause of distractions, or a reason to deviate from the healthy routines which Hiwot had established for the family.  She was firm, but loving.

Later, setting a stable foundation in the small southern city of Awasa was profoundly meaningful. Some of the children, at this point, were old enough to help guide their younger siblings, while those in their formative years would focus on education and assimilate with peers who were more than pleased to welcome them into the community.

The time in Awasa would be pivotal in a number of ways. The very cohesive and happy family would be disrupted by regime-change which resulted in the arrest and detention of then General Mesfen by the Derg; the year was 1974. Much was lost: a beautiful home, close friends, continuity of the children’s education at a critical period in their development. The family was split for a period of time when Hiwot moved to Addis Ababa by herself to care for General Mesfen, thinking that his detention would be short-lived. The timing of his release remained uncertain, and the family’s future laid in precarity. Nevertheless, throughout, Hiwot persevered, courageously picking up the few fragments left, moving her family to Addis Ababa, starting a small dairy business, and providing much needed support to her dear husband – material, emotional and otherwise. This point of inflection defined the next chapter for this giant matriarch. In Addis, she balanced what to most would seem an unfathomable set of tasks of safeguarding her children and educating them, supporting Mesfen and extended family members, and strategizing on the next steps to ensure a stable existence for her family.

General Mesfen would be detained as a political prisoner for a total of more than eight-years. The relief and hope brought about by his eventual release in 1982, would be partially overshadowed by the near simultaneous loss of their eldest child Ahbey. Despite such grave loss, and countless hurdles, together again, in lock-step, with strengthened resolve and unconditional love, Hiwot and Mesfen set their strategy. The scrutiny of the Derg regime was frightful, as were its restrictions innumerable and inescapable. It is against such odds that Hiwot and Mesfen would find the narrowest of paths to send their children abroad. Not all departed in comfort, their third child Samson, while seeking refuge, endured the arid and hostile conditions then typical of regions bordering The Sudan. Prior to this, Merid, as a youth, traveled to the US to live with a host family and receive medical attention. He would remain there, separated from his family, learning a new language, finding his own way to adapt…a mother’s heart hung heavily. For most, the US would be their new home – Hiwot would accompany her two daughters Asmite and Sharon, with Yared to follow shortly, while Mesfen would remain in Ethiopia; a new chapter.

Especially for one previously accustomed to a life of luxury, this transiency of life, the near-constant change and uncertainty would be debilitating. Not for Hiwot! In the US, she would work all sorts of jobs to secure the best possible opportunities for her children – education remained paramount!

Her plan to return home was delayed, she needed to remain in the US until the children assimilated, matured, and set foothold. Along the way, despite losing her husband in the mid-90s, Hiwot sought to leverage all means to support her children - no job too small, no task too tedious, no hurdle too high.

Complaint and self-pity never her language; humility, love, and courage were her mainstay. She saw to it that each of her children found and followed a path to success. Hiwot more than achieved her goals; the children finished school, some started businesses, others pursued traditional professional paths. They married, and were also, in-turn, blessed with children. Tangible results of a firm strategy set decades ago would unfold over a period of decades. Hiwot, often surrounded by family and friends, and cooking up something special, would recount stories with nostalgia - a crocodile visiting the family pool in Awasa, tea-time with Semaye in Harar, and countless others we intently listened to. Other parts of the family history, though not so pleasant, would serve to encourage us all, to instill hope and build resilience.

Hiwot found the greatest joy when spending time with friends and family, but most especially when with her grandchildren. During shared moments, she made us smile and laugh, and gave us reason to love and hope.

Today, and eternally, Hiwot's legacy will be carried on through each of us who were very fortunate to have experienced her ways, and especially by:

Her children - Bemenet, Samson, Yared, Asmite and Sharon.

Her grand-children - Lydia and Adonai, Ahbey and Naomi, Devora, Belaine and Gabriel, Tamera, and Natnael.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ForestParkEast-FHC.com for the Mesfin family.